United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has given Ministry of Health K13.5 billion worth of supplies for community health and non-communicable diseases (NCD) screening and immunisation to support immunisation services and holistic healthcare.

Speaking in Lilongwe yesterday when she presided over the handover of the supplies, Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said the donation, which includes refrigerated vans and solar direct drive refrigerators, will help in constructing a fortified and resilient cold chain infrastructure for handling vaccines when fighting diseases.

Chiponda (L) appreciates the package

She said: “We have received the donation through Unicef, but with support from the USA and Germany governments. The donation includes three refrigerated vans and solar-powered refrigerators, among others, that will bolster Malawi’s health supply chain, ensuring the storage and transport of vaccines with maintained potency.”

The minister said other tools in the package, such as bicycles, raincoats, gumboots and phone tablets, will also help health surveillance assistants in improving their outreach and efficiency, especially in remote areas, having come at a time when the ministry and its partners are implementing a series of polio immunisation campaigns in line with recommendations from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Unicef country representative Shadrack Omol said the supplies will enable the ministry to strengthen its health systems by providing timely, effective and safe healthcare services to its people.

He said the tools will not only help in immediate challenges but will also ensure the ministry’s readiness for future health crises.

Said Omol: “Imagine the workers riding bicycles, wearing raincoats, and using tablets to help people even when it rains.”

Other items in the package include three refrigerated vans, 280 refrigerators, 6 000 vaccine carriers, and 100 000 water packs dedicated to effective vaccine management, 350 phone tablets to revolutionise real-time data capture and surveillance of immunization efforts.

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